How can I preconfigure configuration of the snippet folder or help files without having a default.conf to make the configuration accessible on startup for every user or after an installation.
If you really don't want a default.conf I can't help you as C::B needs to read a pre-configuration from *somehwere*. You cannot provide a million config params via command line interface. But you *can* point to a config file via command line (IIRC).
I'll give you some more hints that might be helpful:
1.) As Pecan already pointed out have a look at personalities. These are pretty much the way to configure C::B for each development environment. Then you would have shortcuts to e.g. C::B Project A, C::B Project B etc.
2.) There is cb_share_conf - a utility that allows easy sharing of the most important settings between C::B installations. Just have a look at it - it's very easy to use and (if you need to) to extend.
3.) If you build a very simple installer for C::B you can integrate a default configuration that is written to the right place after a fresh installation. There are a lot of (free) installer tools around - you could even just use the one C::B itself uses (available via SVN).
4.) If you have C::B setup on a PC and want to have each user that logs in to have the same common "startup" configuration just put it to
\Documents and Settings\Default User\Application Data. That way the default.conf is copied to the right place (
\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data) the first time the user logs in. This way you can pre-configure a PC for the use with C::B for multiple users. If you are on linux: similar mechanism exist.
5.) If you put a config file within the installation directory of C::B this will be the "global and only one" for C::B - just like a C::B portable. Drawback: You need write access rights to store changes and (of course) the changes apply to all users of that C::B installation.
Maybe these hints are of some help...
With regards, Morten.